Review: American Dad “Hot Scoomp”

 

Overview:

A disenfranchised Hayley attempts to acquire a joie de vivre when she pursues a class in journalism, but quickly discovers that her new passion may already be a lost art. Hayley is determined to not lose her drive, but her difficulty to clue into a worthy scoop for her investigative talents leaves her even more conflicted than before. Hayley’s nose for news leads her to an exuberant aerobics class that initially seems like a valuable way to tone her glutes, but turns out to be a considerably more dangerous lifestyle. Hayley’s oblivious indoctrination into a cult grows more serious and her only chance at freedom involves the help of Francine. Unfortunately, Francine’s “benevolent neglect” kick threatens to leave her daughter in an even more vulnerable position.

 

Our Take:

Hayley is an excellent supporting player in American Dad who is often able to comfortably shift into the role of unhinged wild card. These past few seasons have given Hayley more of an opportunity to step into the spotlight, which can sometimes lead to some particularly enlightening episodes of American Dad. Hayley’s perpetual ambivalence towards most of life’s hurdles often inform her checked out attitude, but “Hot Scoomp” begins with Hayley in an unusual place of productive optimism. Hayley’s early enthusiasm towards journalism–complete with an old school hat–is a nice change of pace for the character. It’s exciting to see Hayley get genuinely passionate towards something, so inevitably this new interest gets prematurely extinguished. Hayley is left at a difficult crossroads where it’s legitimately easier for her to just give up, which is why her insistence to stick with journalism feels like a significant development for her character.

Parenting techniques are often under scrutiny in American Dad, but “Hot Scoomp” has Francine engage in rampant “benevolent neglect,” which is essentially just Dadaist non-sequiturs until Hayley leaves out of frustration. This radical approach becomes the crux of the episode as it entertains the idea that disdain can turn into love, or that abandonment is actually the ultimate way to prepare someone for life. This is of course a problematic philosophy for a number of reasons, especially when Francine’s general attitude and commitment to plans is taken into consideration. However, this perspective creates an interesting enough schism between Hayley and Francine that powers the episode’s first act and helps this simple idea snowball into something more elaborate.

A routinely enjoyable detail about American Dad is that the show often has a high caliber of voice talent. There are frequent appearances from notable names in the alternative comedy scene, which often allows bit parts to resonate in major ways. June Diane Raphael is a frequent voice in American Dad’s extended ensemble, but she’s given a real starring role here as the leader of the aerobics cult, Holly, otherwise known as “H.G.” (which is actually major foreshadowing around the episode’s final tech-based twist). Raphael’s lilty, disaffected delivery is exactly what this character needs. It also doesn’t hurt that Ben Schwartz steps in as the fire marshall, who faces some seriously bad timing.

It’s honestly a little convenient to have Francine reflect on her own mother’s shortcomings to gain clarity on how to solve her problem with Hayley. This conclusion also feels slightly more hollow than usual after a run of episodes that have devoted a lot of attention to past parents and the “sins of the father,” so to speak. On its own, this revelation wouldn’t be as egregious, but it feels more generic after just spending so much time with Stan’s flawed childhood and the absentee guardians from his life. The resolution in “Hot Scoomp,” despite the heightened place that it reaches, still feels more generic than it should. However, this season’s production order isn’t necessarily the fault of “Hot Scoomp.”

“Hot Scoomp” is a totally serviceable episode of American Dad that features some good ideas and strong characterization, but inevitably feels a little thin. The episode’s whole “hot butt” angle never fully comes together. It works, but there could have been a stronger reason for what initially pulls Hayley into the aerobics cult. Some drug-based misunderstanding would suffice, especially since that’s so entrenched to the first half of this episode. “Hot Scoomp” is also an occasion where a substantial B-story could significantly help and take some pressure off of the episode’s plot, which really consumes the entirety of “Hot Scoomp.” It’s not necessarily a storyline that feels stretched out and padded, but it’s also not complex enough to sustain the full episode. Some brief deviations with the rest of the cast might have helped smooth out some of the rougher patches in “Hot Scoomp.” However, despite these misgivings, there’s still plenty to enjoy in “Hot Scoomp” and it’s definitely the only animated series of the season where a hologram-led murder cult can trigger a lesson in empathy.